Best cities to live in Ecuador

russelleaton wrote:

If you don't like mosquitoes and you want access to the facilities of a big city, then Quito is ideal. No mosquitoes, good all year weather, relatively little air pollution compared to other big cities, and lots of thing to do/see. Russell

More power to you, Russell, if you are able to avoid the bus fumes in Quito.  I am less than delighted with the pollution in my sector, Centro Hístorico -- the bus route outside my window on Oriente off García Moreno in particular -- and along well-traveled roads I frequent such as 10 de Agosto.

Where in Quito do you live or stay?  What are the best areas to live in Quito for minimal air pollution?

cccmedia in Quito

Pajaroazul wrote:

Quito! Loja, Ibarra, and the hidden gem, Riobamba.

Ah, Riobamba -- population 156,000 -- the name itself is music.

Riobamba, 120 miles south of Quito in the Avenue of the Volcanoes, it is Ecuador's center for mountain climbing.  An Andean town with cool to mild temperatures year-round.

Tell us, Bluebird, what characteristics of Riobamba led you to call it Ecuador's hidden gem?

cccmedia in Quito

Population statistic from United Nations, 2010.  Characterization as center for mountain climbing from Wikipedia.

ECUADOR GURU wrote:

Pululahua botanical reserve 45 min from Quito is ideal

Pululahua is the name of a dormant volcano and a botanical/national park 17 km or 10 miles north of Quito, not far from the touristy Mitad del Mundo monument park.

A hotel, Hotel del Crater, is in the area.

One poster wrote that it's best to take a part-day visit there early in the day before the clouds roll in.

cccmedia in Quito

yulrun wrote:

what about traffic?  I just can't stand it.  We went to Cuenca last month and I was amazed to be stuck in traffic most of the time, or stopped at traffic lights. And if you own a car, you can only drive it one day out of two in Quito!

Yulrun makes valid points about the traffic and traffic-lights in Ecuador's major cities.

However, it is not correct that Quito drivers can only drive one day out of two.

Under the pico y placa rules issued in 2010, a driver is restricted from motoring in a limited part of the city for part of only one day a week.  For instance, my driver's license ends in 2 and thus I supposedly cannot drive in certain busy areas on Mondays if the rules are followed.   Any other day of the week, there is no restriction.

The restricted times on that one day are only during rush hours -- 7 to 9:30 in the morning and 4 to 6 in the evening.

The stated restricted area is Avenida M. Valverde to the South, la Occidental to the West, Avenida Diego de Vásquez y Galo Plaza to the North and Simón Bolívar to the East.

Do you think the friendly Quito police will interrupt their duties during rush hour to admonish or fine a Gringo because he doesn't know which side of Valverde and Bolívar he's on?  Seems unlikely.

I did plenty of driving this Monday (my supposed day of restriction) without even being aware of the pico y placa rules at the time.

Now that I have read them, I plan to abide by the rule on Monday late afternoons.  (I never drive during Monday morning rush hours anyway.)  For Expats, I don't consider 2-1/2 hours of restriction a week a major problem concerning driving in this city.

cccmedia in Quito

vsimple wrote:

The WHO (world health organization) for example ranks Quito air pollution as "good", and much better than most bigger cities in Latin America.

Source: http://aqicn.org/faq/2015-05-10/a-compa … ty-scales/

Dear V. Simple,

Thanks for alerting us to this WHO-inspired page, which has a wonderful color-coded graph showing PM2.5 (super-tiny particulate matter) and PM10 (more coarse matter) averages in Latin American cities' air.

Here are the PM 2.5 and 10 readings, respectively, from that graph for the South American cities for which both numbers are reported, in the ascending order of pollution as listed on the page....

Cali, Colombia                 13        23

Buenos Aires, Arg.          16        30

Montevideo, Uruguay      18        27

Quito, Ecuador                18        38

La Paz, Bolivia                23        42

Santiago, Chile                26       69

Bogotá, Colombia            27       48

Lima, Peru                       38       63


  -- cccmedia in Quito

vsimple wrote:

Quito's pollution (is) much better than many bigger cities. What's interesting about Quito is the disparity of pollution readings from one part of the city to the next and from one time to the next. This is probably evidence that the air pollution does not hover over the entire city like a smog in which case all readings would be high.

Personally, the majority of air pollution is on the main arteries of the city. Residing between such main streets that have bus traffic will greatly limit the pollution. I'm sure some pollution makes its way all over and to the non-congested streets but you can't smell it like on the main streets.....

There's also a noticeable reprieve in the evenings and on weekends from the pollution.

Dear V.,

The most compelling part of the above citation -- which section I have highlighted in bold print -- is the suggestion that you may have seen pollution readings that vary in different parts of Quito and at different times of day.

If you have seen such, please share with us how we can also access such statistics for Quito sectors.

cccmedia in Quito

vsimple wrote:

depending on plate numbers, cars are prohibited from being on the road within Quito during rush hour(s) one day per week. The fine is $80. Tránsito can easily spot violators at intersections.

Thanks for this information.  I was hoping my earlier post would prompt someone to provide the multa amount.

cccmedia in Quito

vsimple wrote:

Sure cc,

Quito basically has 5 real time air pollution reading stations - Centro, Belisario (diez de agosto) west of Carolina park, Cotocollao in Norte, Los Chillos and Carapungo.

Sometimes they update, other times they lag. I look at the stations, often Belisario and Centro and the time of the reading.

Thanks for this, V.

The range from minimum to maximum levels is really wide for the latest (Feb. 1) readings.

Having followed this over time, how would you rank the five sectors surveyed in terms of best air quality?

I suppose the suburban area of Los Chillos would top the list.

cccmedia in Quito

vsimple wrote:

I’ve seen nice houses at Cumbaya, a nice suburb of Quito, for around $1k. For $1.5k you’ll find something very nice, and $2.5k+ a big house with big yard, pool too.

K means one thousand, as in Y2K -- Year 2000.

So you mean what here, V.?  A house for $100,000 ... $150,000 ... or $250,000 ?

cccmedia

Big Will 59 wrote:

As far as rent goes, same thing, cheaper here! I really don't see an advantage for me to move my family there.

That may be true -- "no advantage" for Big Will's family to move here -- if he's in Waco or Wheeling.

For others, though... consider that Cumbayá is an upscale suburb of an international city (Quito).

$1,000 rent for a quality house just isn't doable any more in suburbs such as Mount Vernon, New York .. Chevy Chase, Maryland .. and Los Gatos, California.

cccmedia

Big Will 59 wrote:

Wow, those prices are higher than in the U.S.! Are you purchasing local products or imported? As far as rent goes, same thing, cheaper here! I really don't see an advantage for me to move my family there. Thanks very much for your response! Be safe!

Many if not most essential groceries for families are costlier, and I think the misconception stems from numerous blogs that take pics of fruits and vegetables laid out on a table and post something like “ohhh look we just bought this so cheap from the Mercado.” Ironically there aren’t pics of chicken, meats, cheeses, milk, etc that are essential for a healthy family. Sure one can save a lot on fresh fruits and vegetables, we consume so much of the aforementioned and cost is never an issue, but the fact remains everything else costs more. Having said this the prices are okay on global scale, it’s simply that the U.S has the cheapest prices for most groceries and most products in general. 

And yes practically everything we purchase is locally made, the quality for most items is really good. Tilapia for example, of course consumed in moderation, is much healthier than what’s sold in U.S which is mostly imported from China. The chicken here is also really good, and the same for beef which has a nice flavor, even if tougher, but the solution is simple, learning to cook the different cuts. Basically, one has to balance their shopping cart, but I hope there is no illusion of the food cost for families who are not depriving their children of the nutritional value they need is higher. I want to emphasize families, because this doesn’t apply to many retirees whose dietary need is probably less than that of growing child.

The cost of rent is where Ecuador in general and especially Quito is definitely favorable, cccmedia makes a good point about Cumbaya being an upscale neighborhood just minutes away from a capital city. It’s a very nice area, and the houses are good size, with smallest I’ve seen being no less than 160sqm (1700 sqft). There are cheaper alternatives in other areas, and other cities, some houses go for around $400-$500, a search online will show such. You have to do your own diligence and see what is possible or not possible for your family, objectively. But there are misconceptions out there about cost of living in Quito (Ecuador) when it comes to families.

My neighbor is a retiree and lives in nice posh suite in central part of Quito, and is very comfortable. He absolutely loves the weather, for example yesterday was spring and today summer. While his standard of living is high, aside from medical costs which I have no idea about, he simply does not spend much. A family on the other hand, especially if you don’t want to deprive them of the quality and standard of life they are accustomed too, will be costly. A simple example is an original BMX bike which costs around $150 on Amazon, is for no less than $400 here. More importantly is the cost of quality English curriculum education which is prohibitively expensive. If you have young ones, put them in local Spanish curriculum school to avoid high tuition costs but make sure their standards in maths, sciences, and English (writing, grammar, etc), are up-to par, but unfortunately, many parents lack the experience, knowledge and consistent commitment to supervise and intervene in their child's education.

I’m amazed at some parents who ask can we live life off $800, $900, etc. The answer is yes, you can live off that amount, but you will be bringing up your child/children as 3rd world children, because how is it possible to give them proper housing, adequate nutritional food, education, medical care, clothing, entertainment, toys/gadgets, etc on that amount?  A friend (Ecuadorean) of mine in Quito, earns around $1000 a month in addition to his wife’s income of $600, they also have health and education benefits but are constantly struggling, sure they have rent, car payment, but my point is they as a family are doing okay but struggling. How can a foreign family, on half the income expect to live?

I hope this post does not seem pessimistic, because the intention is realism, and to thwart some of the misconceptions on the web about cost of living for families.

Big Will 59 wrote:

I appreciate your realistic reply! That is what I was looking for. A lot of people will give all the good stuff, but never the cons. Equador seems like a nice place, but all the ads for live on $1300 a month even if single would not be my lifestyle!  Only advantage I can see is medical cost! And that could be one of the pro reasons I make the move.

In my opinion there are other pros in addition to cost of healthcare. It’s a tremendously diverse and beautiful country, you can easily and cost effectively travel from the Andes mountains to the beaches on the coast or the amazon for that matter. Hotel and accommodation in general is cheap and so is transportation. The culture is lovely and the people are courteous and friendly. The weather is absolutely gorgeous year round, excellent for outdoor activities or just taking a stroll. Quito in itself is great, with nice parks, quiet areas, historic area, and a vibrant nightlife area. It’s simply a beautiful city, and dare I say romantic for couples with many nice restaurants, and cafes. And I would imagine for singles as well as I think the people are outgoing. I think Ecuador has a whole lot to offer and provided the income it’s a happy country.